0:00:07 > 0:00:11Just a few hundred humans have witnessed this view.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15Launch.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22But there's promise of a new age of space travel.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28For almost two decades, there's been a continuous human presence
0:00:28 > 0:00:30on the International Space Station.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32- Initiating to capture. - Standing by.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Today, there are over 1,400 satellites in orbit
0:00:36 > 0:00:38and more than 30 probes exploring
0:00:38 > 0:00:41the outer reaches of the solar system.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Have you ever seen anything so sexy?
0:00:45 > 0:00:47And now private companies,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50set up by some of the world's most successful billionaires,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53promise to dramatically open up space.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57They want to send us there as tourists...
0:00:57 > 0:00:59It was paradise!
0:01:00 > 0:01:04..launch our heavy industry into orbit...
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Our environment is not just the Earth.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Our environment is the solar system.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13..and even send some of us to colonise another planet.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16It is a step towards a space-faring civilisation.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18It'll come as no surprise
0:01:18 > 0:01:21for me to say I am a supporter of space flight.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26I think it's the most wonderful, romantic endeavour.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28I'm in the Martian groove!
0:01:31 > 0:01:33So I'm excited by the prospect
0:01:33 > 0:01:37of us becoming a space-faring civilisation.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39A rocket factory...
0:01:39 > 0:01:43But are these plans really possible now?
0:01:43 > 0:01:45And if we are now embracing the final frontier,
0:01:45 > 0:01:49what does this mean for the future of humanity?
0:01:49 > 0:01:51..two, one, zero.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Going to space for pleasure might sound implausible.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12But of the 550 or so humans that have left the Earth,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15a few have bought a ride as space tourists.
0:02:21 > 0:02:27With private companies now promising to send many more of us to space,
0:02:27 > 0:02:28what will the experience be like?
0:02:31 > 0:02:32We are on the way to...
0:02:33 > 0:02:38..I think the most famous space tourist in the world.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Because he was the first space tourist in the world.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42How are you? How are you, Dennis?
0:02:42 > 0:02:44It was paradise!
0:02:44 > 0:02:50In 2001, Dennis Tito paid Russia's space agency 20 million
0:02:50 > 0:02:52to fly into the International Space Station
0:02:52 > 0:02:55and spent eight days orbiting the Earth.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59I mean, really, I think, actually, calling him a space tourist
0:02:59 > 0:03:02is not doing him justice. I mean, that's an astronaut.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06Wow, that's a nice house, isn't it?
0:03:14 > 0:03:17DOORBELL RINGS
0:03:19 > 0:03:20- Hi, Brian.- Hello. - My wife, Elizabeth.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23- A pleasure to meet you, Brian. - Very nice to meet you.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25- Nice to meet you, as well. - Let's show you around.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Thank you very much.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28This is the...
0:03:28 > 0:03:30the drawing room.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33As you may have noticed, it's a very English-style house.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Two-level library.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38How many space tourists have their been?
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- There have been seven in total. - Seven?
0:03:41 > 0:03:43And one person went twice.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48The last person, he flew in 2009, and no-one has flown since.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Like all astronauts visiting the Space Station today,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57the seven multimillionaire tourists
0:03:57 > 0:04:00travelled on a Russian Soyuz rocket,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02originally designed in the 1960s.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09So this is the space room.
0:04:09 > 0:04:10Yeah.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13This is one of the suits I actually wore.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16It's not a spacesuit, but it's more casual.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Do you like the term?
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Cos several people have said they don't like the term space tourism.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22They wish it had never been coined.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26There's only one person I've ever known that likes it.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- And that's me. - So you like the name?
0:04:29 > 0:04:30Right.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34But somehow, they don't like it. But I accept it.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36I want to show you some of these pictures,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39where you actually see the umbrella.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42We put a little umbrella and a straw.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46A fake drink, of course. We weren't drinking alcohol in space.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Having a lot of fun with the idea.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54You don't hear much about this from the professional space flyers,
0:04:54 > 0:05:00because they're professionals and they're astronauts and cosmonauts.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04But the beauty of private space flight,
0:05:04 > 0:05:08you can be goofy if you want to, and there's no-one to criticise you,
0:05:08 > 0:05:09you're paying your own bill,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13you're not having this trip on government money.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16So there's a lot more freedom.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Which part of the experience was the most powerful?
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Was it the views? Was it zero G? Was it the launch?
0:05:22 > 0:05:27I spent 45 minutes, typically, every orbit,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30which was a half an orbit, looking out the porthole.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33And I would listen to opera
0:05:33 > 0:05:38and I just never got bored looking out.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43WOMAN SINGS OPERA MUSIC
0:05:48 > 0:05:53It was just such an awesome experience
0:05:53 > 0:05:55being off the planet
0:05:55 > 0:05:59and being one of the privileged few humans to do this.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02And it's never left me. I think of it every day.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15Tito was able to spend tens of millions of dollars to get to space.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19But there are plenty more who would like to go
0:06:19 > 0:06:21if it were more affordable.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25This commercial opportunity poses some important questions.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32How do you feel about space tourism?
0:06:32 > 0:06:35How do you feel about our resources,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37intellectual, technical and physical,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40being used initially to allow high-net-worth individuals
0:06:40 > 0:06:43to travel into space and get a view of the Earth?
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Is it really a stepping stone to the stars?
0:06:50 > 0:06:53There's a place that's been leading the way in the development
0:06:53 > 0:06:56of this more-affordable approach to space tourism.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05Mojave is a dusty, little desert town two hours outside Los Angeles.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08But it has a very special place in the history of aviation.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in these skies back in the 1940s.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19It doesn't feel like the kind of place
0:07:19 > 0:07:21that should have a speed limit, does it?
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Speed limit - Mach three!
0:07:28 > 0:07:30The key to bringing the price of space down
0:07:30 > 0:07:33is to develop a small-scale spaceship
0:07:33 > 0:07:36that can be landed and reused over and over again.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Some of the early attempts here in the 1990s
0:07:41 > 0:07:44might look more at home in the Wacky Races...
0:07:47 > 0:07:49But then a local aircraft designer
0:07:49 > 0:07:52came up with something he called SpaceShipOne -
0:07:52 > 0:07:56a rocket-powered aeroplane designed to reach space.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01His name is Burt Rutan.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05- Ah!- Hello.- Burt.
0:08:05 > 0:08:06- Brian.- Morning. Hello, Brian.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10I really want to order the Valkyrie because it's the best plane...
0:08:10 > 0:08:14The XP-75's an amazing thing, but I don't want ham and two eggs.
0:08:14 > 0:08:21A lot of people ask, why do we, the human race, want to fly into space?
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Not fly an airliner, as everybody understands that,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27but why do we want to push and push and push?
0:08:27 > 0:08:29You know, I think it goes back...
0:08:29 > 0:08:32all the way back to why we are different than the animals.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37The animals live to survive.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Humans, on the other hand, live to explore...
0:08:42 > 0:08:46..and to find out what's over that mountain.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49You know, Columbus took off not knowing what was there.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Why aren't we out there,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55wanting to go to the oceans on the moons of Saturn?
0:08:58 > 0:09:03Rutan entered his SpaceShipOne into a contest called the X Prize,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05which would award 10 million
0:09:05 > 0:09:08to the first privately built, reusable spacecraft.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16The start of space is usually defined
0:09:16 > 0:09:18as an altitude of 100km.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Ten times higher than cruising airliners.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Reaching this frontier between the Earth's atmosphere
0:09:27 > 0:09:29and the blackness of space,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32but not completing a full revolution of the Earth,
0:09:32 > 0:09:33is called suborbital flight.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36It's well below orbital missions,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39like the International Space Station,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41which circles the Earth at 400km.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Test pilot Brian Binnie flew SpaceShipOne for the second flight
0:09:47 > 0:09:50in its 2004 X Prize attempt.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55To win, the craft had to prove its reusability
0:09:55 > 0:09:59by reaching space twice in two weeks.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03The rocket ride really wakes you up and the adrenaline starts flowing.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07For each flight, SpaceShipOne was dropped in mid-air
0:10:07 > 0:10:11from its mother ship and lit its rocket engine.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18We start out, you know, "Hey, this is fun."
0:10:18 > 0:10:19And there's fear.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21But it comes back to fun again.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26The spaceship blasted its way vertically upwards,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30reaching an altitude of 102km on the first flight
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and 112km on the second.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38By far the best part of that whole experience
0:10:38 > 0:10:40is when you shut that motor down.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56It's as though you step across a line in an entirely new dimension
0:10:56 > 0:10:59and this instant karma of weightlessness.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02And it happens just like that.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07And...you realise, at that point, you're in space.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14And it's as though somebody's pulled back a stage curtain
0:11:14 > 0:11:16for the benefit of your eyes only.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20And you look up and there it is - this black void that is space.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Ah, it's a bit of a mystery.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25It's a menace.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27But you can also sense its majesty.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36SpaceShipOne scooped the X Prize.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40And Virgin entrepreneur Richard Branson
0:11:40 > 0:11:43struck a licencing deal with Burt Rutan's company
0:11:43 > 0:11:47to develop the design for a space tourism business.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50How important was the X Prize?
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Well, you know, governments haven't gotten us
0:11:54 > 0:11:56space travel for the people.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59They never tried to. They told us, but they never tried.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05So I had this feeling that, once I did that,
0:12:05 > 0:12:11once I took an average of, like, 35 people for three-and-a-half years
0:12:11 > 0:12:14and did a manned space programme,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16developed our own rocket motor,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18we bought some components for it,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20but we developed our own rocket motor,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24my feeling was that, all of a sudden,
0:12:24 > 0:12:29now everybody says, "Well, that is something that I can do."
0:12:29 > 0:12:31We know what has to happen.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36Suborbital space tourism must be, financially, extremely successful
0:12:36 > 0:12:41because then it will spawn the competition for orbitals
0:12:41 > 0:12:45and sending people to asteroids and Mars and so on.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Rutan's vision that we, as a species,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54will extend our reach far into space is, for me, thrilling.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02One of the companies developing suborbital tourism
0:13:02 > 0:13:06as the first step towards this is Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Over 700 advance tickets to space have been sold
0:13:13 > 0:13:17to what the company call their "future astronauts".
0:13:20 > 0:13:22But it doesn't come cheap.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Currently, 250,000 a trip.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30And the spaceship isn't ready yet for commercial operation.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35We wanted to meet here to show you something pretty special.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38We are preparing for a flight, as you know, on Thursday.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40And we're pretty excited by that.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44While they wait, future astronauts are invited to exclusive events
0:13:44 > 0:13:46to see the spaceship's progress.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50So, tonight, we're going to see what is inside,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52behind these great, big hangar doors.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58APPLAUSE
0:13:58 > 0:14:02The evolution of Burt Rutan's design is called SpaceShipTwo.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Once released in mid-air from its large mother ship,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11it will take up to six passengers on a suborbital flight
0:14:11 > 0:14:13to an altitude of 110km.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Here, they will experience around four minutes of weightlessness
0:14:18 > 0:14:21and be able to see the curvature of the Earth below
0:14:21 > 0:14:23and the blackness of space above.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27So, I'm going to pass out some champagne.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29We'll have a toast to unity.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Thank you for being fantastic future astronauts,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34for supporting us all the time and being wonderful.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36- So, cheers! - ALL:- Cheers!
0:14:38 > 0:14:42The early customers expected to fly to space back in 2010.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Hi, everyone. My name is Maureen Gannon.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49I signed up to be a future astronaut, or just an astronaut,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52in 2006, I believe,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55before this one came along, so...
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- Do you want to say anything? - I love space!
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- I love space! - LAUGHTER
0:14:59 > 0:15:01I'm Alan Mark.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03I had no interest in space at all.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06- Hi! - LAUGHTER
0:15:06 > 0:15:09And then I heard how fast this is going to go.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11And that's what got me.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12I love fast!
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Fast!
0:15:14 > 0:15:18- And when I heard how fast it was going, I said... - LAUGHTER
0:15:20 > 0:15:24The ticket holders aren't the only ones with a keen eye on progress.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Richard Branson has flown in overnight.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- Hi, Brian.- Hi, Richard.- Lovely to see you.- How are you?- Great.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35- Do you want some toast? - I'd love some toast, yeah!
0:15:35 > 0:15:37We first met when I was filming in Madagascar,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40and we share a passion for aviation.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43He's here to see a test flight of SpaceShipTwo -
0:15:43 > 0:15:45the latest in a long programme
0:15:45 > 0:15:48to certify the craft for commercial use.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51We try not to give dates
0:15:51 > 0:15:54but, you know, we're hopeful that, by the end of the year,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57we'll, um, finally be into space.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Morning! Morning, morning, morning, morning, morning!
0:16:05 > 0:16:07It's already more than a decade
0:16:07 > 0:16:10since SpaceShipOne first reached space.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13And this timeframe may still be optimistic.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17But the company employs 650 people
0:16:17 > 0:16:21and has spent well over 600 million
0:16:21 > 0:16:24trying to make commercial trips to space a reality.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Have you ever seen anything so sexy?
0:16:29 > 0:16:33The pilot for SpaceShipTwo's test flight is Dave Mackay.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- All right, Brian, would you like to see the spaceship?- I cannot wait!
0:16:36 > 0:16:38OK, follow me.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42Even the future astronauts aren't being allowed inside SpaceShipTwo,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44as it's yet to be fitted out.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49So, you're now in the captain's seat.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51This is a manual flight-control vehicle.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53So rods, cables, connecting the flight controls
0:16:53 > 0:16:56to the actual surfaces on the wing.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58- Can I turn it, or no?- Yeah, sure.
0:16:58 > 0:16:59So, if I go...
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Oh, yeah, and of course it's very light at the moment
0:17:03 > 0:17:05because...we're in a hangar!
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- Yeah.- And so, you just go down.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10I can't tell you what a...
0:17:11 > 0:17:12It's an experience.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Anybody who's watching this, who's an aviation geek,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18will go, "Yeah, I just had to do that, didn't I?"
0:17:18 > 0:17:20I had to do it! Thank you.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Two more spaceships are already being built on the site
0:17:24 > 0:17:26to make up a fleet of three,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29ready for use soon after testing is complete.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34The design uses
0:17:34 > 0:17:37the latest lightweight carbon-fibre composite materials.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39- Should I do that?- Yeah, go, go.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42Ow!
0:17:42 > 0:17:45It also needs to be incredibly strong
0:17:45 > 0:17:48to cope with the stresses of space flights.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Windows are a potential weak point,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53but space tourists are paying for the view.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57So this is a window frame
0:17:57 > 0:17:59that we haven't put into one of our new spacecraft yet.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01So that's the main window, that's the size of it,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04it's about 17 inches across.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Yeah, it's huge compared to an airliner window.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11In a weightless environment,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14you actually need to control where you are, relative to the window,
0:18:14 > 0:18:15and hold yourself up to it,
0:18:15 > 0:18:19so there will be a little finger-grab around the window.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22You only need just a little bit, your first knuckle, almost,
0:18:22 > 0:18:24to be able to get around.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26And that's enough to hold yourself up against that window.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31This SpaceShipTwo is in the finishing stage of its build.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34But Virgin Galactic have been here before.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37In 2010,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41the aerospace company which designed and built the first SpaceShipTwo
0:18:41 > 0:18:43began its test-flight programme.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47It progressed from simple glide flights
0:18:47 > 0:18:50to rocket-powered tests...
0:18:58 > 0:19:02..and to raising the unique tail stabilisation system.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05All was progressing well.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11But during the last powered test,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13on the 31st of October, 2014,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16the control system allowed the co-pilot
0:19:16 > 0:19:18to release the tail too early in the flight.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Within seconds, the spacecraft disintegrated.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34The lead pilot was thrown clear of the cockpit
0:19:34 > 0:19:37and managed to parachute to safety.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41But the co-pilot was killed.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Our primary thoughts, at this moment,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50are with the crew and family,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52and we're doing everything we can, erm...
0:19:54 > 0:19:55..for them now.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01You know, I think a lot about, you know, the...
0:20:02 > 0:20:06..that day, and to make sure that we learn as much as we can,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10to make sure that our vehicle integrates the lessons from that,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12so that it becomes a safer vehicle.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15And this goes back through the history of aviation,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18has made air flight or space flight safer, right?
0:20:18 > 0:20:20And how do you make it safer?
0:20:20 > 0:20:23You take that lesson and you integrate it into a future operation
0:20:23 > 0:20:25and that's what we're trying to do.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Now, Virgin Galactic have taken over
0:20:33 > 0:20:35day-to-day running of the entire project.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Over two years after the crash,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42the new SpaceShipTwo is early in its flight-test programme.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Primed for today's flight,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50only critical personnel are allowed near it.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52There's no rocket engine attached yet,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55so it won't blast its way into space.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Instead, Dave Mackay and his co-pilot
0:20:58 > 0:21:00will assess how the craft handles
0:21:00 > 0:21:03while on a glide from its mother ship back to Earth.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Virgin Galactic staff and their families have turned out to watch,
0:21:08 > 0:21:13as the mother ship begins its climb to 50,000 feet.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- WOMAN:- Oh, my gosh, she's already up!
0:21:22 > 0:21:25CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Once its job is done,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32the mother ship's pilots will fly back to base
0:21:32 > 0:21:35to be reunited with the spaceship.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Do you have any nerves on these days?
0:21:37 > 0:21:38Of course.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Because of what happened a couple of years ago,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43I think, when you're going through a test programme,
0:21:43 > 0:21:44it would be very strange not to have nerves.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46And I'm sure that...
0:21:46 > 0:21:48You know, I've just been up with all the families
0:21:48 > 0:21:50and all their children, and they wouldn't be human
0:21:50 > 0:21:53if they didn't have a little bit of some nerves.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Yeah, I'm nervous with them. But, er...
0:21:55 > 0:21:58In the end, you can only test these things in the air
0:21:58 > 0:21:59and see how they work.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03The mother ship has reached the drop altitude,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05and in SpaceShipTwo,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08pilot Dave Mackay prepares to be released
0:22:08 > 0:22:09for the glide back to Earth.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13- MAN:- Three, two, one...
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- GASPING AND APPLAUSE - There it goes!
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Oh, there it is, yeah. I can see it.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38SpaceShipTwo proves its gliding ability.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46But the real test will be whether the rocket-powered flights,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50due to start in a few months, can take it safely to space.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53- Well done. That looked beautiful. - Thanks, yeah.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08I'm joining Branson as he visits the base in New Mexico,
0:23:08 > 0:23:10from where Virgin Galactic's customers
0:23:10 > 0:23:12will eventually fly to space.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17The journey is a chance to ask whether this project
0:23:17 > 0:23:20will really open up space for us all.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25I suppose one of the problems at the moment is the expense level.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29I mean, 250,000 or something like that is certainly not for everybody.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32When do you think that future will unfold,
0:23:32 > 0:23:36where it is routine for people to fly?
0:23:36 > 0:23:41Er, the cost of our programme has been a lot more than we thought.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Once we've got our investment back
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and once we've got, you know, a number of spaceships,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49I think we can start seeing the price coming down.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51And...
0:23:51 > 0:23:57And, you know, one day, we could have 20 spaceships operating.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01And then, you know, the price could come down to a level where, I think,
0:24:01 > 0:24:05you know, there would be much, much, much more demand
0:24:05 > 0:24:07than we can ever supply.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10So I think an enormous amount of people
0:24:10 > 0:24:11will be able to go into space.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17But the place we're visiting stands as a reminder that, as yet,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21no-one is flying on regular space tourism flights.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Oh, here she comes.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Spaceport America, the world's first commercial spaceport.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39It was designed by the British architect Norman Foster
0:24:39 > 0:24:42and cost over 200 million to build.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Around two-thirds of this was from the taxpayers
0:24:47 > 0:24:49of the state of New Mexico.
0:24:56 > 0:24:57Wow!
0:24:57 > 0:24:58Look!
0:25:00 > 0:25:03This looks like a spaceship has landed!
0:25:05 > 0:25:09The initial construction of the spaceport was completed in 2011.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Lead tenants, Virgin Galactic,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17plan to use a fleet of spaceships
0:25:17 > 0:25:21to make daily flights to space from here.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23But the hangar remains empty.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Apart from a model of SpaceShipTwo.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31- That's just the most magnificent panorama.- Yeah.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34No, I mean, it was incredible that they agreed to build all this.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Virgin Galactic are paying an annual rent of over 1 million.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44But without full operations,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47the spaceport is being paid for by the residents of New Mexico
0:25:47 > 0:25:50at around 500,000 a year.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Some in the state are growing tired of waiting
0:25:55 > 0:26:00for the influx of space tourists and other paying tenants.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I suppose you've had a decade now from SpaceShipOne.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05You know, I knew that space was difficult,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09I knew that rocket science was difficult. Erm...
0:26:09 > 0:26:12But, you know, I hadn't realised just how difficult it was.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19While there will be more of a wait
0:26:19 > 0:26:22for Virgin Galactic to start operations,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26I think suborbital space tourism will inevitably become a reality.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33It may feel a long way from creating a space-faring civilisation,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35but space tourism isn't the only game in town
0:26:35 > 0:26:37for commercial space companies.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43Virgin also plan to slash the cost of launching small satellites.
0:26:43 > 0:26:48An early project is to deliver communications infrastructure
0:26:48 > 0:26:50to the remotest parts of the world.
0:26:53 > 0:26:54And in Seattle,
0:26:54 > 0:26:58there's a man spending 1 billion of his own money a year
0:26:58 > 0:27:00on even more ambitious plans.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04You know, I come by the space bug honestly.
0:27:04 > 0:27:10As a kid, I was inspired by the giant Saturn V missions
0:27:10 > 0:27:13that roared to life from these very shores.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18Jeff Bezos has become the second-richest man in the world
0:27:18 > 0:27:21through his canny ability to read the future.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Back in 1994,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27he recognised the potential of the internet
0:27:27 > 0:27:30and started an online sales company in his garage.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37It's now the basis of his 80 billion fortune...
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Amazon.com.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48Just down the road from Amazon, Bezos also has a rocket company.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52It's called Blue Origin,
0:27:52 > 0:27:54after the colour of our home planet.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57I think it might be through there.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02But it's so secretive, it doesn't even have a sign outside.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Yes, this is it.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09We're one of the first film crews ever to be allowed in.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11A rocket factory!
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Look at that - it's beautiful, isn't it?
0:28:14 > 0:28:16A production line for rockets and capsules.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Blue Origin are developing a vertical rocket
0:28:21 > 0:28:24with a passenger-carrying capsule
0:28:24 > 0:28:26and, like Virgin Galactic,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29hope to start taking tourists into space next year.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Rockets are harder to land than a space plane.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38But they can send larger payloads deeper into space.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44- Hi.- Hello.- Jeff.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47- Brian. Very good to meet you. - Pleasure. Nice to meet you.
0:28:47 > 0:28:53How do you see the... our future in space unfolding?
0:28:53 > 0:28:57We need a dynamic entrepreneurial explosion in space,
0:28:57 > 0:29:01just as I've witnessed over the last 20 years on the internet.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05Thousands of companies and tens of thousands of start-ups,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07doing interesting things online.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09The reason that could happen
0:29:09 > 0:29:13is because they didn't have to do the heavy lifting infrastructure.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15The heavy lifting infrastructure was already in place.
0:29:15 > 0:29:1820 years ago, I was driving the packages to the post office myself
0:29:18 > 0:29:23and I didn't have to build the internet, that already existed.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27I didn't have to figure out how to transport parcels,
0:29:27 > 0:29:29there was the Postal Service.
0:29:29 > 0:29:30And so on and so on.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33So, when heavy infrastructure is already in place,
0:29:33 > 0:29:37then the creativity of thousands of people can be unleashed.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41Right now, the price of admission is just so high
0:29:41 > 0:29:44that not very many people get to exercise their creativity
0:29:44 > 0:29:45in the domain of space.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47One of the big problems
0:29:47 > 0:29:50with lowering the cost of space launch today
0:29:50 > 0:29:53is that we just don't get enough practice.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56The most-used launch vehicles fly, you know, in a good year,
0:29:56 > 0:29:58maybe 10 or 12 times a year
0:29:58 > 0:30:00and you just never get truly great
0:30:00 > 0:30:03at anything you only do 10 or 12 times a year.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06So, one of the great things about tourism
0:30:06 > 0:30:09is it could provide additional launches
0:30:09 > 0:30:12to drive up the rate of practice.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15And lift-off.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17Developing their space tourism rocket
0:30:17 > 0:30:20has already proved a useful practice ground for Blue Origin.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23Boosters now at 250,000 feet.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28You're going to see the landing gear deploy.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31This is the aft section of the new separate vehicle.
0:30:31 > 0:30:37So this section of the vehicle gets mounted onto the midsection.
0:30:39 > 0:30:44In 2015, they made a ground-breaking step towards reusability.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52Using its engine and autonomously controlled thrusters,
0:30:52 > 0:30:56their rocket was landed back on its tail for the first time.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00Welcome back.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08The idea that we used to throw these away...
0:31:08 > 0:31:10Yes, it's heartbreaking.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14When you look at the precision of this aerospace quality hardware.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17And it's obviously very wasteful, just financially.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21But it's also heartbreaking to put so much work into something
0:31:21 > 0:31:23- and then only use it once!- Yes.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29But what is all this practice for?
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Blue Origin have started work building a rocket
0:31:32 > 0:31:35that's more powerful than anything flying today.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39The New Glenn will be capable of carrying
0:31:39 > 0:31:43a payload of 45 tonnes into orbit.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47And the company already has a contract to deliver satellites.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51Could this be the next step towards the space infrastructure
0:31:51 > 0:31:54that Jeff argues is necessary?
0:31:54 > 0:31:58It seems to me that there's an element of a stepping stone in it,
0:31:58 > 0:32:01in the sense that we're learning by practice
0:32:01 > 0:32:03and you have an economic model
0:32:03 > 0:32:05which allows you to build these factories.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07That's exactly right.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09But what are you hoping happens to our civilisation?
0:32:09 > 0:32:13Is this...? Do you see it as a step towards a space-faring civilisation?
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Yes. It is a step towards a space-faring civilisation.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19We have sent robotic probes now to every planet in the solar system
0:32:19 > 0:32:24and we know, without any shadow of a doubt, that Earth is the best one.
0:32:24 > 0:32:25This is the best planet!
0:32:26 > 0:32:29And we need to protect it,
0:32:29 > 0:32:33and the only way to really protect it is to eventually, you know,
0:32:33 > 0:32:37move heavy industry off Earth, and Earth can be effectively zoned,
0:32:37 > 0:32:40you know, residential and light industry.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43You hear it a lot. Why don't we solve the problems on Earth
0:32:43 > 0:32:45- before we go into space?- Right.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47It's part of the solution.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49You know, really, if you think about space,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52it's a much better place to do heavy manufacturing.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54In space, you have 24/7 solar power.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56Resources in space are much vaster,
0:32:56 > 0:32:59in terms of mineral resources and so on.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02Every kind of element that you need is available in space
0:33:02 > 0:33:04in very large quantities.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06And so, over the next couple of hundred years,
0:33:06 > 0:33:10that will allow us to both continue to have a dynamic,
0:33:10 > 0:33:14expanding, growing, thriving, interesting civilisation,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18but whilst still protecting this planet that we evolved on,
0:33:18 > 0:33:20which is this jewel, this diamond of a planet.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26This is a hugely ambitious and exciting vision.
0:33:27 > 0:33:32It's hard to put a timescale on it becoming a reality,
0:33:32 > 0:33:34but we do already have industry in space.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39Over 1,400 satellites circle above us,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43providing everything from land-use data to TV broadcasts.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47And with the likes of Blue Origin
0:33:47 > 0:33:50promising more-affordable access to space,
0:33:50 > 0:33:53there are already start-up companies looking to capitalise.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57What will tomorrow look like?
0:33:58 > 0:34:00Our world is at its limits.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02And yet we all want more.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04And why not?
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Why shouldn't the future be better than today?
0:34:07 > 0:34:09But where will it come from?
0:34:09 > 0:34:11Simple.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16Our tiny planet sits in a vast sea of resources.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19It's time someone seized the opportunity.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24Deep Space Industries.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29This company plans to mine resources in space.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33And its chairman is Rick Tumlinson.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35So, you're talking about space mining, essentially,
0:34:35 > 0:34:37and refining those materials.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39That sounds like science fiction.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42Our business plan for deep space
0:34:42 > 0:34:45is based on the fact that it's expensive to go into space.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47So we're going to go out there
0:34:47 > 0:34:50and harvest space resources,
0:34:50 > 0:34:54so when they arrive, we've got their supplies.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58Tumlinson believes there's already a market
0:34:58 > 0:35:03to supply satellites and spaceships with resources found in space.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06His company has major investment from the government of Luxembourg
0:35:06 > 0:35:10and claims it will start delivering its services within a decade.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13So, if we look at telecom satellites,
0:35:13 > 0:35:15telecommunication satellites,
0:35:15 > 0:35:18these are billion-dollar spacecraft.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20Now, they have a need
0:35:20 > 0:35:22to be able to keep them up there as long as possible.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24So what about tug boats?
0:35:24 > 0:35:26What about refuelling them?
0:35:27 > 0:35:29What about being able to move them
0:35:29 > 0:35:33from one orbit to another and doing things like that?
0:35:33 > 0:35:37- So is this on-orbit servicing? - On-orbit servicing, yeah.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Tug boat services, refuelling services.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42These are the kinds of activities we're starting to look at right now
0:35:42 > 0:35:44and there are real companies working on this.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47Our company is one of them, but there are others, as well.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52These companies plan to find resources on asteroids -
0:35:52 > 0:35:55the rocky leftovers from the birth of our solar system.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59There are millions of them,
0:35:59 > 0:36:03ranging from a few metres to hundreds of kilometres across.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05And some contain minerals
0:36:05 > 0:36:09ideal for taking space industry to the next level.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14Planetary Resources is a company
0:36:14 > 0:36:17backed by Silicon Valley billionaires.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21It is already testing satellites ready to prospect in space.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24So a spacecraft like this, that size,
0:36:24 > 0:36:28- would go to an asteroid in a few years, is the plan?- Yeah.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30This is the geologist
0:36:30 > 0:36:33that we'll send out to the future mine site on a near-Earth asteroid.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37Metallic asteroids really are going to be the stock
0:36:37 > 0:36:41that we will build out all the infrastructure in space.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Build a space station, a habitat, start manufacturing,
0:36:44 > 0:36:47being able to, you know, make more spaceships.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50And how much of this is out there for us?
0:36:50 > 0:36:52A mind-boggling amount.
0:36:52 > 0:36:57So if we looked at all the metal on the asteroids in the solar system,
0:36:57 > 0:36:59we're talking about enough metal
0:36:59 > 0:37:02to build an 8,000-storey tall skyscraper
0:37:02 > 0:37:05that would cover the entire surface of the Earth.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08So that's a very, very big building indeed.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11So it's...
0:37:11 > 0:37:13So, imagining that,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16so it's an 8,000-storey building
0:37:16 > 0:37:18- across the entire surface area of the Earth?- Yeah.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21So I wouldn't recommend building it on the Earth.
0:37:21 > 0:37:22I would build it in space.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26- Yeah, but it's enough to build anything we want.- Anything we want.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32This may all sound rather far-fetched,
0:37:32 > 0:37:34but these start-ups are attracting investment
0:37:34 > 0:37:38from forward-thinking business minds for good reason.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41It's been estimated that mining a single asteroid
0:37:41 > 0:37:46could turn a profit of up to 30 billion.
0:37:48 > 0:37:53And we are already able to land on fast-moving pieces of rock in space.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission did touch down on a comet.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06But it wasn't trying to bring anything back.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10And if you find space mining ambitious,
0:38:10 > 0:38:13there's another billionaire entrepreneur
0:38:13 > 0:38:17with an even bolder vision of our space-faring future.
0:38:22 > 0:38:23Elon Musk made his fortune
0:38:23 > 0:38:26setting up the online payment company PayPal.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30He's become steadily more ambitious,
0:38:30 > 0:38:33from his radical shake-up of the car industry
0:38:33 > 0:38:35with his electric Tesla cars...
0:38:37 > 0:38:40..to transforming the world's supply of rechargeable batteries
0:38:40 > 0:38:43with the largest factory ever built.
0:38:45 > 0:38:51And now, he wants to take us into space with his company SpaceX.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54Three, two, one...
0:38:54 > 0:38:59That is that first stage coming back down to land...
0:38:59 > 0:39:01CHEERING
0:39:01 > 0:39:03The company's milestones, like the
0:39:03 > 0:39:04first landing of an orbital rocket,
0:39:04 > 0:39:06have been witnessed by Tim Urban.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10He was approached by Musk to write about SpaceX...
0:39:12 > 0:39:15..and has the inside line on the firm's ambitions.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23- Hello. Hi.- Hey.- Brian.- Hey.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26- Good to meet you.- Good to meet you, very good to meet you.- Yeah.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30- What's that, by the way? - This is a Space XPA, yeah.
0:39:30 > 0:39:31I'll have a SpaceX.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33One thing that struck me, cos we've...
0:39:33 > 0:39:36I suppose what you might call the three big companies -
0:39:36 > 0:39:39SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin.
0:39:39 > 0:39:40SpaceX is unusual, isn't it?
0:39:40 > 0:39:44What SpaceX does now, right, the way they pay the bills,
0:39:44 > 0:39:45which is not their long-term goal,
0:39:45 > 0:39:48just the way they pay their bills on the way to the long-term goal
0:39:48 > 0:39:51is they just deliver stuff to space.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53Since SpaceX began in 2002,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56they've had their fair share of failures.
0:40:03 > 0:40:08Most recently losing a rocket during a launch-pad test in 2016.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20But they have succeeded in developing a reusable rocket system
0:40:20 > 0:40:23that can put satellites into orbit
0:40:23 > 0:40:26and a capsule that can dock with the International Space Station.
0:40:26 > 0:40:31It looks like we got us a dragon by the tail.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35It delivers Nasa's cargo - and soon their astronauts, as well.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40And that's just the beginning of SpaceX's plans.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44So there's what SpaceX does and then there's what it REALLY does.
0:40:44 > 0:40:49Now, what it REALLY does is it innovates
0:40:49 > 0:40:51to try to revolutionise the cost of space travel
0:40:51 > 0:40:53in order to make humanity
0:40:53 > 0:40:56a space-faring multi-planetary civilisation,
0:40:56 > 0:40:58in order to build life insurance for the species
0:40:58 > 0:41:00and bring us to another level as a species.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02That's what it REALLY does, the big picture.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05Musk believes that, in the long term,
0:41:05 > 0:41:09it is inevitable that we will face an extinction event.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11An asteroid strike or perhaps a worldwide pandemic.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17Given this, he argues it only makes sense
0:41:17 > 0:41:20to ensure that some of us are living on another planet.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26And there's only one that's currently feasible...
0:41:29 > 0:41:30Mars.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36So the ambition is to build that rocket and send it to Mars...
0:41:36 > 0:41:40- To travel.- ..in five years.- Yes. And if it's going to do that,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43then it has to do some flights around Earth first,
0:41:43 > 0:41:45so it's probably going to be built in the next two years,
0:41:45 > 0:41:46maybe three years.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50Seven years, this takes off with the Neil Armstrong of Mars in it.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52It's going to be the only thing we're talking about.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55- This is an astonishing vision. - It is.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59And again, the scepticism, the cynicism I would have about it,
0:41:59 > 0:42:03when I saw them land the rocket, I said,
0:42:03 > 0:42:05"They're now innocent till proven guilty."
0:42:05 > 0:42:09I am trusting SpaceX and their insane ambition
0:42:09 > 0:42:11until I see otherwise,
0:42:11 > 0:42:13because they keep doing what people say they can't do.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16But the scepticism, I suppose,
0:42:16 > 0:42:22even I, who am absolutely optimistic, think that...
0:42:22 > 0:42:26I would be delighted if that thing were flying within five years.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34This does sound like a highly ambitious timescale.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40Not least because, to date, there's only one organisation
0:42:40 > 0:42:44that has landed and operated anything successfully on Mars...
0:42:48 > 0:42:49Nasa.
0:42:51 > 0:42:52The Jet Propulsion Laboratory
0:42:52 > 0:42:56is responsible for all of Nasa's unmanned spacecraft and robots
0:42:56 > 0:42:58beyond Earth orbit.
0:43:01 > 0:43:06Its recent director, responsible for sending 24 missions into space,
0:43:06 > 0:43:08is Dr Charles Elachi.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12- I love coming here because I've grown up with this.- Yeah.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15You know, Voyager at Jupiter, Voyager at Saturn, new horizons...
0:43:15 > 0:43:18- I can't stand here without looking at everything.- Yeah.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22No, it is an amazing feat for humanity,
0:43:22 > 0:43:23for that matter, for our species.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26I think the last few decades
0:43:26 > 0:43:30we have visited every part of our solar system.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35Dr Elachi oversaw the landing of their most recent rover,
0:43:35 > 0:43:38named Curiosity, on Mars in 2012.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51So Mars brings a different challenge because it's a very thin atmosphere.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Of course, you need the parachute,
0:43:54 > 0:43:57but then we need to do the retro rocket...
0:44:01 > 0:44:05..to slow us even further, and then it effectively hovers.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10And then we do the sky crane...
0:44:12 > 0:44:14..and slowly land the rover on the surface.
0:44:21 > 0:44:25JPL's Mars rovers have sent back invaluable data
0:44:25 > 0:44:28on the make-up of the planet's atmosphere and geology...
0:44:28 > 0:44:31DRILL WHIRS
0:44:31 > 0:44:36..and most significantly confirmed that there is ice on Mars,
0:44:36 > 0:44:39meaning water would be available to support a future colony.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46Nasa do have plans for humans to follow their rovers to Mars,
0:44:46 > 0:44:50currently scheduled for the 2030s.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54But could commercial companies beat them to it?
0:44:56 > 0:45:00We know what it takes to land on Mars because, here at JPL,
0:45:00 > 0:45:03we landed the last four missions successfully.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05It's not easy. It's very challenging.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07And then, when you move to the human,
0:45:07 > 0:45:10it adds an additional challenge of the long travel.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12I mean, you're talking about...
0:45:12 > 0:45:15I mean, with today's technology, about two years a round trip.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17If you want to send a human to Mars,
0:45:17 > 0:45:19I think it's got to be a national endeavour,
0:45:19 > 0:45:21you know, at the beginning,
0:45:21 > 0:45:24because it really involves a significant amount of investment
0:45:24 > 0:45:29and it's being done for both scientific and human exploration.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32To move it to a profitable commercial endeavour,
0:45:32 > 0:45:34it's going to take a while.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36Essentially, what you're saying is
0:45:36 > 0:45:41no company will make an investment to go and open up Mars
0:45:41 > 0:45:44because it's just too expensive.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46In the Earth's orbit,
0:45:46 > 0:45:49the commercial sector can do most of the things
0:45:49 > 0:45:51on Earth, and we rely on them.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55The next step is going to be asteroids and the moon,
0:45:55 > 0:45:58and I think we're almost there for the commercial sector
0:45:58 > 0:46:00to able, step by step.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03Going to Mars is still a big challenge.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12Given the level of challenge that Mars presents,
0:46:12 > 0:46:15I want to find out why Elon Musk is so convinced
0:46:15 > 0:46:18that he can make us an interplanetary species
0:46:18 > 0:46:21within such a short timescale.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28The man who helped win him round to the idea back in 2000
0:46:28 > 0:46:32is aerospace engineer and Mars exponent Robert Zubrin.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34OK.
0:46:35 > 0:46:36Here's my lab.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41This machine here is one of the most important.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45This is for making rocket fuel and oxygen on Mars
0:46:45 > 0:46:47out of the Martian atmosphere.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50Since the 1990s,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53Zubrin's proposal of a lightweight live-off-the-land approach
0:46:53 > 0:46:57to visiting Mars has influenced many, including Nasa.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03So, this is really a lab aimed at ultimately colonising
0:47:03 > 0:47:06and building bases,
0:47:06 > 0:47:10- creating resources out of raw material and staying there.- Yes.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12This is...
0:47:14 > 0:47:18..my invention for cleaning clothes in space.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20I call it the vacuum cleaner.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24It sucks out all the air, it boils off all the water and all the oil,
0:47:24 > 0:47:26it explodes all the bacteria -
0:47:26 > 0:47:29they're dead, the stuff is clean.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35Some of Zubrin's ideas may seem unconventional...
0:47:37 > 0:47:39..but it's his back-to-basics approach
0:47:39 > 0:47:42that has proved so appealing.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48Can you give us some indication of the difficulty
0:47:48 > 0:47:53of humans going to Mars and then colonising it?
0:47:53 > 0:47:55Because you've got these wonderful paintings on the wall.
0:47:55 > 0:48:02This is a depiction of my mission plan for human exploration of Mars,
0:48:02 > 0:48:04which is known as the Mars Direct Plan.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08There's nothing in this that's fundamentally beyond our technology.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10We're not talking about venturing into
0:48:10 > 0:48:12new and unknown worlds of physics here.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15We're talking about brass tacks engineering,
0:48:15 > 0:48:20building systems of moderate size, flying them to Mars.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24We do not need giant Battlestar Galactica spaceships.
0:48:24 > 0:48:26How optimistic are you that this is,
0:48:26 > 0:48:30that there's something different now, in 2017,
0:48:30 > 0:48:34to the way the world was in, let's say, the year 2000?
0:48:34 > 0:48:35In the year 2000...
0:48:37 > 0:48:40..we knew about people like Elon Musk.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42They were characters in science-fiction stories,
0:48:42 > 0:48:47of the entrepreneur who would come along and make this happen.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51Well, now those characters
0:48:51 > 0:48:54have stepped out of science-fiction novels
0:48:54 > 0:48:55and they are now...
0:48:56 > 0:48:58..in the real world, doing this stuff.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04Zubrin's zeal for finding a way to reach Mars
0:49:04 > 0:49:08is driven by belief that it is the only option humanity has
0:49:08 > 0:49:10to ensure its long-term survival.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16And the worst idea that anybody has ever had
0:49:16 > 0:49:20is that there is only so much to go around, OK?
0:49:20 > 0:49:25And that, therefore, nations are all enemies of each other.
0:49:26 > 0:49:31If we can get off this rock and see that the world we live in
0:49:31 > 0:49:34is not this planet, this is not the world,
0:49:34 > 0:49:39this is just one planet in a world of trillions of planets
0:49:39 > 0:49:43and that there are unlimited resources available to us
0:49:43 > 0:49:47if we maximise the reach of human creativity,
0:49:47 > 0:49:49and therefore,
0:49:49 > 0:49:52every nation is fundamentally the friend of every nation
0:49:52 > 0:49:56and every person of every other person.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02Having been inspired by people like Robert Zubrin,
0:50:02 > 0:50:07Elon Musk does seem to be bringing our ability to reach Mars closer.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14But there remains a significant barrier to establishing a colony.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19How will we humans cope, physically and mentally?
0:50:21 > 0:50:22Zubrin's Mars Society
0:50:22 > 0:50:25has an experiment based on his Mars Direct Plan
0:50:25 > 0:50:27deep in the Utah desert.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32This is the road to a Mars analogue station.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36What they're doing out here is they're simulating living on Mars
0:50:36 > 0:50:38as closely as they can.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41And so what they've done, apparently,
0:50:41 > 0:50:44is that they've left a spacesuit
0:50:44 > 0:50:48and a backpack and a helmet and a radio system
0:50:48 > 0:50:51and all the things you would have if you're living on Mars,
0:50:51 > 0:50:54out in the desert, and I've got to stop the car,
0:50:54 > 0:50:58put it on and go into full simulation mode.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00Because they live there for weeks at a time
0:51:00 > 0:51:04and the job is to practise being a settler on Mars.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08And, to be honest, it doesn't look too dissimilar to Mars.
0:51:12 > 0:51:13Excellent.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17I assume that, on the actual mission,
0:51:17 > 0:51:19I will have been trained to do this.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24Humans on a mission to Mars
0:51:24 > 0:51:28would have to endure close confinement with their crewmembers,
0:51:28 > 0:51:32along with extreme isolation from the rest of humanity.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35- MAN:- Hi, Brian. We see you walking towards us. Do you copy?
0:51:35 > 0:51:39And the minimum mission length would be around two years.
0:51:39 > 0:51:40Yes, I do copy.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44You want me to approach the airlock and get in? Over.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46Exactly. Over.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48This crew habitation module
0:51:48 > 0:51:51has been built to explore these psychological pressures,
0:51:51 > 0:51:53as well as the practical challenges.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58And the major donor to fund its construction?
0:51:58 > 0:51:59Elon Musk.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07I see you're all in the airlock and the door's closed,
0:52:07 > 0:52:10so I'll start pressurisation, so three minutes.
0:52:12 > 0:52:17The current inhabitants, engineering students from France and Belgium,
0:52:17 > 0:52:21are two-and-a-half weeks into their three-week simulation.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24In reality, on Mars, the air would be rushing in now,
0:52:24 > 0:52:26the pressure would be rising.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30Like every crew that stays,
0:52:30 > 0:52:33they undergo psychological assessment throughout.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41- Ah-ha!- Welcome aboard.
0:52:41 > 0:52:42Thank you very much.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47Oh, thank you.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50- Fresh air.- Yeah!
0:52:50 > 0:52:55The bottom deck is for experiments, equipment and other essentials.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58So we only flush when strictly necessary.
0:52:58 > 0:53:03On the top deck is the accommodation for the seven crew.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05This is my room and, since I'm executive officer,
0:53:05 > 0:53:08it's slightly bigger than the others, because I get the curve.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10The others just have a wall, so...
0:53:10 > 0:53:13- Oh, wow. Can I go in? - Yeah. Sure, sure, sure.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16You really get a sense...
0:53:16 > 0:53:19It'd be a psychological challenge to live here for years, wouldn't it?
0:53:19 > 0:53:23Also in the living area is an experimental plant nursery
0:53:23 > 0:53:25tended by crew biologist Victoria.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29Every day, we are happy to see this
0:53:29 > 0:53:34because all over the station it's red, grey.
0:53:34 > 0:53:35We don't have green things.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39So it helps psychologically, as well, just to see plants growing,
0:53:39 > 0:53:41- just seeing green?- Yeah.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47Life on Mars would be incredibly tough.
0:53:51 > 0:53:57Temperatures on the Red Planet are regularly minus 80 degrees Celsius.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59There's almost no oxygen
0:53:59 > 0:54:02and humans would be bombarded by cosmic radiation.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07And to think the Utah desert feels tough...
0:54:09 > 0:54:11It is increasingly uncomfortable in a spacesuit,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14which is the point of the simulation.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18You get a real feel for how difficult it would be
0:54:18 > 0:54:22to perform even quite simple tasks on the Martian surface.
0:54:23 > 0:54:27The risks for anyone willing to go to Mars would be immense.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31But if Elon Musk succeeds in his plans,
0:54:31 > 0:54:33it could be ordinary citizens,
0:54:33 > 0:54:35like these young scientists and engineers,
0:54:35 > 0:54:38that are given the opportunity to go.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40Do you think that your generation
0:54:40 > 0:54:44is more interested now in Mars and in space flight
0:54:44 > 0:54:47than the previous generation stretching back
0:54:47 > 0:54:49probably to the end of Apollo?
0:54:49 > 0:54:53If you just asked me to go into space for two years now,
0:54:53 > 0:54:55I would say yes immediately.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57Would anyone NOT do it?
0:54:57 > 0:54:59Would anyone think that's a very long...
0:54:59 > 0:55:02A three-year trip in something probably smaller than this
0:55:02 > 0:55:05and rather more difficult than this, would anybody not do it?
0:55:05 > 0:55:08I think it depends a lot on what's in the fine print of the contract.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10Like, if it's a one-way mission,
0:55:10 > 0:55:13I think a lot of us would give it a lot more thought.
0:55:13 > 0:55:18If it's, like, come back with what probability
0:55:18 > 0:55:21and also what is the exact duration of the mission.
0:55:21 > 0:55:22That kind of parameters
0:55:22 > 0:55:24will probably help everyone make a decision.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26But I think, as of right now, if you said,
0:55:26 > 0:55:28"OK, let's go, it takes two years."
0:55:28 > 0:55:29Well...
0:55:29 > 0:55:31Thanks.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34- See you! - Have a safe trip!
0:55:43 > 0:55:45And lift-off.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51Meeting the commercial space companies
0:55:51 > 0:55:53and the young generation they're influencing
0:55:53 > 0:55:57has been exciting and, I would say, inspiring.
0:55:58 > 0:56:02I've seen engineering right at the cutting edge of our capabilities
0:56:02 > 0:56:06driven by an ambitious and positive vision of our future.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09Humanity, as a species, we HAVE to go into space,
0:56:09 > 0:56:10I mean, in my view.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14And so, that leaves you with only two options.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17Either we need to expand out into the solar system
0:56:17 > 0:56:18if we want to continue to grow,
0:56:18 > 0:56:22or you have to enter a period of stasis.
0:56:22 > 0:56:26And I know which of those two options I think is more interesting!
0:56:28 > 0:56:32And our environment is not just the Earth.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34Our environment is the solar system.
0:56:37 > 0:56:41By expanding humanity's capability in this way,
0:56:41 > 0:56:44we are assuring, or doing our best to assure,
0:56:44 > 0:56:48the survival of our species and of our civilisation.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56We're talking about commercial companies here,
0:56:56 > 0:56:58whether they're into space tourism,
0:56:58 > 0:57:02industry in space or sending us to Mars.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05And, of course, they have an eye on making money.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09As their projects develop,
0:57:09 > 0:57:12it is vital that we ask searching questions,
0:57:12 > 0:57:16but I've been struck by the conviction I've encountered.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19And I think they are addressing
0:57:19 > 0:57:23THE most important challenge of our time.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26Having had the privilege of making this film,
0:57:26 > 0:57:29speaking to so many of the people
0:57:29 > 0:57:32who are trying to push the boundaries
0:57:32 > 0:57:35and to try to turn us into a space-faring civilisation,
0:57:35 > 0:57:40I would say that I am more optimistic than ever, actually,
0:57:40 > 0:57:43about the future of the human race,
0:57:43 > 0:57:46because I think we are on the verge
0:57:46 > 0:57:50of finally leaving this planet
0:57:50 > 0:57:53and making a home amongst the stars.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55I really...
0:57:55 > 0:57:58I really mean that. I think that's what I've learned.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00And that is, surely, a wonderful thing.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03It's a wonderful time to be alive.
0:58:07 > 0:58:09Would you like to learn more about the UK's part
0:58:09 > 0:58:11in the race into space,
0:58:11 > 0:58:15or delve deeper into both human and robotic exploration?
0:58:16 > 0:58:18Go to the website at the bottom of the screen
0:58:18 > 0:58:21and follow the links to the Open University.